Communication Science

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Afrikaans in democratic South Africa :a survey of scholary contributions and tendentious reporting regarding the status of Afrikaans and the other official languages of South Africa
(University of Zululand, 2002) Khalawan, Pramesh; Klopper, R.M.
In this study I looked at the issue of the Afrikaans language, which is most often approached from a position of strong vested interest, either in support or against it. This study was intended as an intellectual response to an intensely debated issue. It is a survey of scholarly and tendentious reporting regarding the status of Afrikaans and the other official languages of South Africa. As we move into the 21st century the .Afrikaans language has once more moved into a position of status, not for ideological purposes but for practical communication. Previously it was associated with the struggle for survival, and with an image of kitchen patios. As it takes its rightful place in our multilingual country, one in which the playing fields are levelled for all indigenous languages, major processes in society will determine its future and to what extent Afrikaans would function as an African language. For this to happen the language has to create a survival niche for itself, on behalf of the other nine indigenous languages. As one of the official languages it needs to create a space beyond hegemony and social legislation. By ensuring that it is always 'ahead and to the side' (rather than "on the side') of English and the other nine languages, the Afrikaans language will experience a growth phase continuing to interrogate its own traditions where people are empowered to use the language of their choice. The Afrikaans language must not be continually punished for its perceived complicity in apartheid politics but should be protected and advanced with an overarching structure of multilingualism. The downgrading of Afrikaans has not affected the language adversely; on the contrary it has triggered stronger support from influential persons and the rest of the population. It has found a new identity and status alongside the other ten official languages. Each of these languages should be encouraged to flourish with political will and patience. Afrikaans has a significant role to play in the 'African Renaissance' and remain an important language of all South Africans. Its role as a South African language can be redefined in terms of the constitution. In the words of President Thabo Mbeki, "when the sun rises, it must show a rebirth of South Africa, driven by the enormous talents of all our people, and made possible by the knowledge and realisation that we share a common destiny.
Attitudes of matriculants in the Port Shepstone region towards IsiZulu as a school subject
(University of Zululand, 2003) Khwela, Mandlenkosi Jeffrey; Klopper, R.M.
In this study I looked at the attitudes of matriculants towards isiZulu as school subject. The study was conducted in six schools in the Scottburgh and Sayidi area. isiZulu is one of the eleven official languages and was compared to other languages offered in schools. The Language policy needs to be improved in order to cater for the development of indigenous languages. The Questionnaire survey used as the research instrument in this study, and discussions with educators in this study, which enabled the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of attitudes of pupils towards isiZulu as a school subject. .Furthermore, the findings of the study indicated that libraries are often not well equipped with reading material in isiZulu, that at Times educators which are not properly qualified for the purpose teach isiZulu, and that the subject content often do not reflect the relevancy of everyday life. It was recommended that these aspects be addressed and more importantly, that the Language policy needs to be improved in order to cater for the development of indigenous languages.
Attitudes of Zulu matriculants in the uMlazi township towards isiZulu as a school subject
(University of Zululand, 2002) Nzuza, Thembile Paschalia; Klopper, R.M.
In this thesis I am going to look at attitude study theory and then will define the terms which will be presented, in my literature chapter to help with reading and understanding of my thesis. The literature, which informs this study, is on atritiiHinal study as presented by scholars of this field. From this I will use the methods suggested to study attitudes of the uMlazi matriculants towards isiZulu as a school subject. My focus is on isiZulu language, which is one of the official languages; this will then bring in the issues of language poBcy in Black South African schools. IsiZulu will then be compared with the dominant language, which is spoken by the participants of the research, and all the official languages will be investigated if they are being used. The language policy will be investigated from the colonial era up to post democratic South Africa to establish if it has changed or not. Then the new language policy is to be investigated if it is implemented or not, if not suggest how the languages could be uplifted to promote muhilingualism which is the requirement of the Language policy-act of 1996. Writing conventions I wish to draw the attention of the reader to the following conventions that I am following in this stud}': 1 J am using the abbreviated Harvard style of referencing, for example: Adendorff 1996—388-406 means Adendorff 1996 pages 388 to 406. 2. Graphs and tables are given as figure 1-14 and they follow chronological order. 3. My questionnaire is attached under Addendum A All SPSS data are attached under addendum B.
Body Image : Gender Subtexts in the Popular Print Media Available in South Africa at the beginning of the 21st Century
(University of Zululand, 2001) Buthelezi, Thabisile M.; Klopper, R.M.
In this dissertation, I present the results of an analysis of the role of female body image in the promotion of commercial products in magazines that are available in South Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. The South African legislation is progressive towards promoting gender equality. But the central problem is that there are still gaps between the progressive legislation and the attitudes and beliefs of South Africans towards gender equality, particularly in the use of female body images in magazine adverts by the advertising industry. This gap between de jure and de facto is due to gender differences and stereotypes that have been entrenched in every aspect of our lives (for example, in language, culture, religion, and so on). According to Deacon (1997:376-410) and Pease and Pease (2000:60-61), because of the gendered social environment in the ancestral world, our brains (as females and males) evolved differently within the continuing gendered social environment. So, our fore brain, which is responsible for thinking, reasoning and planning processes, has helped us to reconstruct our gendered social environment by the formulation of legislation that promote human rights including the right to equality. However, the legislation on equality is not sufficient to reconstruct our environment. The evidence is that within the good legislation that has been made in South Africa, the advertising industry is continuing with the biased portrayal of female and male body images in the magazine adverts, in particular. Besides, the female body image is still portrayed in stereotypical roles. For example, the female is presented in passive roles and as objects as well as sex objects. However, the consumers do not adequately challenge the advertising industry about this gendered portrayal of the female body images in magazine adverts because the consumers themselves have a gendered view of the world. Therefore, other social programmes (in schools and communities) should supplement legislation that has been made in order to try and reconstruct the gendered social environment in South Africa. But, there are still areas for further research in the area of gender and body image to try and uncover the effects that the body image has on the consumers.
Buffer management in the future Internet
(University of Zululand, 2007) Pillai, Divya Balakrishna; Xulu, S.S.; Ojong, G.E.
With the rapid development of new applications, comes the drive to modify the current Internet to accommodate real-time multimedia applications. The current Internet uses a single queue per output port to buffer packets destined for that port. This often causes congestion leading to packet loss and delay. Real-time applications are delay and Joss sensitive. Therefore, there is a need to develop a buffer management system that will effectively accommodate both real-time and non-real-time applications. In an attempt to efficiently allocate and manage output buffers of a router in the fixture Internet, in this research we have developed a buffer management scheme known as Dynamic Threshold Buffer Allocation Scheme (DTBAS). This scheme uses complete sharing with virtual partitioning. Pre-emption (i.e. removal of queued packets) is used to minimise congestion of high priority packets. Dynamic thresholds are used to determine the start and end of pre-emption. To further alleviate the congestion of high priority (real-time) packets, high priority OUT-packets are randomly dropped during the pre-emption period. To add some fairness to the scheme, low priority (non-real-time) packets are assigned a minimum buffer volume. Simulation was conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. The scheme was also compared with the Complete Sharing and Complete Partitioning schemes. It was found that DTBAS had the lowest average packet loss rate for real-time applications compared to other schemes. It was also found that DTBAS efficiently utilises its buffer space.
The Chief Superintendent of Education Management as communication link between the districts and circuits of the EThekwini Region of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture
(University of Zululand, 2005) Nyembe-Kganye, Phumzile; Klopper, R.M.
The focus of this study is on effective communication that can be used between the district and the circuit in order to optimise communication. There are traditional forms of communication that are still used by Departmental officials yet the information conveyed through those forms of communication take too long to reach the final destination and as a result thereof the information comes just days before the deadline or sometimes way after the deadline. This problem leads to a situation where the work is done in a haphazard way just because people want to meet the dead line. New forms of communication such as E-Mail can convey information within a split of a second all over the wodd The findings reveal that some of the Chief Superintendents of Education Management are not familiar with some of the new forms of communication and therefore cannot even confirm whether those forms of communication are useful or not The Department of Education will therefore have to introduce these new forms of communication at district level as well as at circuit level in order to optimise communication between the district and the circuit
Communicating by ordering electrons : the development of electronic communication as part of a secondary school Communication Science curriculum in the Language, Literacy and Communication learning area
(University of Zululand, 2001) Rugbeer, Hemduth; Klopper, R.M.
In this thesis I focus on the introduction of Electronic Cornmunication as part of an envisaged Communication Science curriculum in the Language, Literacy and Communication Learning area of the Further Education and Training band. In the course of my thesis I will show that the requisite elements of verbal and written cornmunication are dispersed throughout the Language, Literacy and Communication learning area in the General Education and Training band, and that they can be utilised as basis for formally introducing Communication Science, as a subject in the Language, literacy and Communication learning area in the Further Education and Train¬ing band. I also show that electronic communication will form a crucial area of study in such a Communication Science curriculum. I argue that due to the diversity of cultures in South Africa, cross-cultural cornmunication is required in such a curriculum. I also argue that by the very na¬ture of Outcomes-Based Education it is necessary to have a subject into our school curriculum that will form an interface with conceptual learning and experiential learning, that will contextu-alise language study within the more comprehensive scope of forms of human communication, and that will form an interface between the humanities and science to prevent the humanities from becoming soft options in Further Education and Training band learning programmes. To this effect I focus on the crucial role of Constructivism as integrating theory to account for vari¬ous approaches to motivational learning, the primary form of learning required in Outcomes-Based Education. I examine the principles of curriculum construction in OBE and its associated culture of learn¬ing against the backdrop of the theory of Situated Cognition. This presents a platform to argue the case for Electronic Communication as part of Communication Science in the Further Edu¬cation and Training band curricula in South African schools.
Communication and strategic human resources development as part of culture establishment in a heavy minerals industry
(University of Zululand, 2009) Dafel, Jacobus Christian; Rugbeer, H.
According to Grobler, et al (2005:315) organisational learning is a characteristic of an adaptive organisation, i.e. an organisation that is able to sense changes in signals from its environment (both internal and external). One of Ticor South Africa's1 (TSA) corporate values is to be a learning organisation. This implies that the organisation actively creates, captures, transfers and mobilises knowledge which enables it to adapt to a changing environment TSA utilise an interactive learning strategy. This strategy enabled positional competence which ensures that individuals are empowered to carry out their jobs. The learning strategy implemented utilises strategic human resources in development and learning management Its foundation and supports a philosophy of organisational culture. This study focuses on the field of organisational communication mat includes management The study describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organisation. The Wikipedia . website (2009:http/en.wikipedia.org/wi3d/ Organisational culture#cite-note-hill iones-Q#cite_note-hill iones-0) states that it deals with a specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organisation. It controls the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organisation. In any new dynamic organisation the diverse background of a new workforce and their cultural differences creates a purist culture. This also adds to the implementation of the organisation's vision. Diverse cultures traditionally impact on the implementation of the learning strategy, this hamper cultural competence. The first part of this study examines the establishment of a new heavy minerals mine in a quasi rural area; this is then followed by a short study of what is viewed as best practices in terms of organisational development Subsequent chapters deal with the construction and implementation of an integrative learning strategy which not only addresses strategic human resources development but also on site learning management. The penultimate chapter's looks at two culture surveys which the author designed and conducted in 2004/5, as well as a safety climate culture survey 2005 and an organisational culture analysis 2006. This was conducted in conjunction with an on-site consultant The findings of said surveys provided a pattern which substantiated the conclusion and recommendations obtained from the quantitative research methodology used.
Communication between schools and parents in Urban settings Gender- based differences in school management style
(University of Zululand, 2003) Majozi, Bheki Milford; Klopper, R.M.
This thesis entails a literature survey of the forms of communication required for the successful management of primary schools and high schools by principals and their management teams, followed by an empirical survey of the management team communication practices of 367 principals in the northern section of the eThekwini Region (the area that until 2003 was known as the North Durban Region) in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, on the eastern seaboard of South Africa. In brief, my research shows that female principals predominate in primary schools and male principals in high schools. My research further shows a number of significant differences in the way that female and male principals communicate with parents.
Communication challenges facing internationalisation of higher education at University of Zululand
(University of Zululand, 2014) Dlamini, Judith Buhle; Rugbeer, H.; Naidoo, G.M.
Globalisation is not a new subject since people and various organisations have been sharing information as well as buying from and selling products from each across national and international borders. In addition the expansion in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has changed the nature in which education is offered and consumed internationally. Globalisation and the spiralling evolution of ICTs has become the driving force for transformation in higher education sectors. Many universities have adopted or incorporated international trends in education and research. This new culture is aimed at producing graduates who are well suited and qualified to actively and productively participate in the global economy. This research provides a comprehensive study on globalisation, international communication and internationalisation of higher education. This study exposes profound observations about current international initiatives and drawbacks to internationalisation at a tertiary institution in the heart of a rural village in South Africa.
Communication for conflict transformation : an assessment of arbitration procedures between aggrieved educators and the KZN Education Department
(University of Zululand, 2004) Govender, Dayalan; Klopper, R.M.; Smit, J.A.
This dissertation uses a combination, of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to present an objective analysis of conflict between aggrieved educators and their employer, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education, set against current theories of how narrative analysis, informed by semantic roles analysis, can be used according to the principles of organisational communication to discern underlying causes of conflict, and current approaches to conflict transformation The major findings of this study are that conflict is endemic at all hierarchic levels of the KZN Department of Education, that intermediate forms of dispute resolution are not working effectively, with the consequence that a high number of disputes are referred for arbitration, and finally that arbitrators are performing their duties effectively in terms of the dispute resolution procedures of the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC).
Communication for maintenance and propagation : the forms of communication used by the cell church as an emerging organisation
(University of Zululand, 2002) Reddy, Mike Megrove; Klopper, R.M.; Smit, J.A.
In this thesis I describe the development of the Cell Church from a movement to an organisation, based on empirical data analysis, in comparison with three similar religious movements that developed from movements to church organisations, namely the early Christian church, the Protestant Reformation and the Millerite Advent movement. My conclusion is that the Cell Church is at the early stage of changing from a movement to an organisation.
Communication in Christian groups from movements to organisations
(University of Zululand, 2004) Reddy, Mike Megrove; Klopper, R.M.
This dissertation reports the results of a study made of the forms of communication employed by Judaeo-Christian religious groups when they saw themselves as movements, compared to when they had become organisations. Beginning with ancient Israel, the study documents how forms of communication become elaborated during the organisational phase of groups' existence. The forms of communication used in Christian religious groups are documented from the rime of the eady Christian Church, through the Reformation period, through the 17* century to present-day Christian groups. The dissertation also reports as a case study an empirical analysis of the forms of communication used by the Cell Church and churches with cell groups, both of which are inter-denominational and host regular informal gatherings. It is found that these gatherings display the onset phase characteristics of Christian movements. From a theoretical point of view the research reported here provides evidence in support for the following Christian Religious Communications Hypothesis: Christian religious groups will use a limited number offorms of communication when they perceive themselves as movements and they will expand their forms of communication, as they become organisations, which forms special instance of Klopper (2003)'s general Theory of the Optimisation of Human Communication: Humans optimise a variety of forms of communication within a culture, to ensure immediate direct personal survival and to maintain their culture as a fongterm indirect survival strategy. By confirming the validity of the Christian Religious Communications Hypothesis, the research findings also provide indirect validation for Klopper's general Theory of the Optimisation of Human Communication.
A communication perspective of how local government is equipped to interact with its public: a study of the Ulundi Municipality
(University of Zululand, 2014) Ndaba, Nobuhle Elizabeth; Rugbeer, H.; Naidoo, G.M.
This study investigates the effectiveness of communication strategies used by local government with the hope of improving service delivery. Municipalities around the country have been continuously facing challenges with regard to service delivery. According to the Centre for Policy Studies (2010) protests are common in municipalities across South Africa. For example in 2010, the Minister of Local Government announced that 38 municipalities were under investigation for fraud and corruption. The 2011 local government elections were marked by service delivery protests which turned violent and led to the destruction of property. According to Department of Provincial and Local Government (2009), angry residents blocked roads and began burning tyres and throwing stones against the lack of services in their communities. This led to clashes with the police. Dissatisfaction with service delivery is the primary cause of civil unrest. Nepotism in conjunction with bribery and corruption are key reasons for the presence of unqualified staff at most public and social service departments. This research provides a comprehensive study of how local government operates in rural areas of South Africa. This study also exposes profound observations about current service delivery initiatives by local municipalities. Further, the study demonstrates how challenges faced by local municipalities through poor, ineffective communication techniques caused it to fail to meets its intended purpose. The findings identified the need to enhance public participation and effective communication in local government.
A communication perspective on the challenges faced by key government sectors in the application and adoption of Batho Pele principles: A case study of Addington and R.K.Khan hospitals”
(University of Zululand, 2012) Moodley, Padhma; Rugbeer, H.
The under-resourced and overused public health sector of South Africa has been the subject of national policy reform initiatives and frequent government led investigations. Subsequently, in October 1997, the government introduced eight Batho Pele principles to serve as acceptable policy and legislative framework regarding service delivery in the public service. However the media has constantly criticised the public health system for their pathetic service delivery. Hospitals and clinics have been portrayed as being overburdened and under-productive. Multiple efforts by the government to remedy (and rescue) the situation have not decreased nor diminished the problems. The primary goal of this study is to examine the current quality of service offered by the public health system in South Africa especially in terms of service delivery proposed by the Batho Pele principles. More importantly, how the Batho Pele principles are communicated to the external publics will be evaluated to ascertain the challenges key government sectors face in the adoption and application of these principles. The participation of patients and staff members of two public health facilities in KwaZulu-Natal provided this study with valuable information on which this study is based. The data was collected through the use of structured interviews of in-patients and questionnaires for both outpatients and staff members. A total of 255 patients and 92 staff members participated in this study. Further, the study exposes provocative and controversial issues in the public health system and hopes to stir awareness amongst its respective leaders and its publics. This study demonstrates how challenges faced by the public health organisations through poor ineffective communication techniques caused it to fail to meets its intended purpose. This study also exposes provocative and controversial challenges which place our health care system at risk of total annihilation if left unattended. The study speaks to issues of accountability such as: planning, budgeting and decision making and the plight of the people of our nation.
Communication policy and practice : the case of the Ethekwini Municipality
(University of Zululand, 2005) Hadebe, Vusumuzi Collin; Klopper, R.M.
In this thesis the researcher examines language policy and language practice in large organisations, with specific reference to departmental practice at the eThekwini Municipality. The eThekwini Municipality is one of South Africa's largest municipalities that are tasked with the provision of (and ensuring universal access to) essential services that are affordable to local communities, for example, water, electricity and sanitation. The eThekwini municipality was chosen on the basis of its commitment to equity and the development of its employees' potential through training and development programmes. The study, is conducted within the parameters of the new Constitution's multilingual language policy of South Africa, the Skills Development Act of 1998 and the Employment Equity Act of 1998. In Section 6: C, the Constitution states that the state must take practical measures to elevate the status of the indigenous languages and in Section 9: 3, the state may not discriminate against anyone on the grounds of language and colour. The study argues that in order to ensure equity, all South African languages must be used for the promotion of multilmgualism and the advancement of African languages, which were previously ignored by the apartheid government. The broad issues that the study examined include language policy and practice, languages used in organisations and the dominance of English in organisational communication.
Communication strategies aimed at improving the success rate of small to medium enterprises
(University of Zululand, 2008) Magagula, Josia Mfanasibili; Rugbeer, H.; Rugbeer, Y.
Organisational communication in today‘s organisations has not only become far more complex and varied but more important to overall organisational functioning and success also, organisations can not operate without communication, organisations involve people and people cannot interact with each other without communication. However, different styles of management have an influence or impact over people, on the way in which people co-operate and on the results of changes because change is both inevitable (unavoidable) and necessary in any business and it is important for managers and employees to hone (sharpen) their skills in change management. This study investigates the communication strategies aimed at improving the success rate of small to medium business enterprises. The first part of the study reviews literature on communication, change management, different styles of management, change implementation, importance of planning and communication, kinds of changes and managers and power. Subsequent chapters describe the construction of a survey instrument employed to measure and evaluate on the communication strategies aimed at improving the success rate of small to medium business enterprises. Penultimate chapters blend the insights gained from this literature review to interpret the results, obtained through the quantitative research methodology, to describe a set of conclusions and recommendations in the context of the communication strategies aimed at improving the success rate of small to medium business enterprises.
Communication strategies for community development
(University of Zululand, 2008) Naidoo, Gedala Mulliah; Rugbeer, H.; Rugbeer, Y.
The concept of sustainability has been adapted in business context to achieve balance, integrity, economic, social and environmental performance (Naidoo 2002:129); however Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is a relatively new concept to some companies. This study measures the growing debate over the responsibilities of business and the examination of communication strategies and CSI programmes being implemented by the banking sector in the Chatsworth District The first part of the study reviews literature pertaining to the communication process, electronic communication, mass communication, organisational communication, public communication, communication strategies in corporate social investment and community development. Subsequent chapters deal with the construction of a survey instrument employed to measure and evaluate the extent of CSI programmes by the banking sector and the findings of the survey. Penultimate chapters blend the insights gained from this literature review to interpret the results, obtained through the quantitative research methodology, to describe a set of conclusions and recommendations in the context of community upliftment through CSI initiatives.
Community development: the use of corporate social responsibility initiatives by shopping centre landlords
(University of Zululand, 2017) Adanlawo, Eyitayo Francis; Rugbeer, H.; Naidoo, G.M
The growing power of shopping centres within communities has changed the economic landscape and has also attracted concerns from society. This has inspired an increasing call for shopping centres landlords to play a substantial role in community development. This study explores the relationship between shopping centres landlords and the communities in which they reside-in with regards to corporate social responsibilities. The study is based on the premise that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are seen as mandatory by shopping centres landlords as to ask what their contributions are to achieving sustainable development and improving the lives of people living in the local communities. In this regard, the study examines the role that shopping centres landlords play in bringing development to their various communities through CSR. The focus is on three shopping centres: Empangeni Sanlam Centre, Esikhawini Mall and Richards Bay Boardwalk Inkwazi Shopping Centre within uThungulu District Municipality. Relational theory and transactional model theory are used to develop a model for shopping centres landlords to embrace CSR as a tool to community development. This study employs a survey method which was conducted among the management of the centres and residents of Empangeni, Esikhawini and Richards Bay. The results of the study indicate that CSR initiatives embarked upon by shopping centres landlords through their management team are not communicated to the local community residents. This brings a gap in communication between the landlords and the local community residents. The practical implications of this finding showed that the model proposed for this study is promising in solving communication problem hindering CSR initiatives implementation.
A comparative study of communication perspectives of factors influencing students’ career choice at UNIZULU and DUT
(University of Zululand, 2017) Taiwo, Mofuluwake Oluwadamilola
The choice of career is a delicate matter that demands caution and serious attention. Many people have become victims of circumstances of incorrect career choice due to lack of proper career guidance and information. On the other hand, there is a debate among academic researchers in the field of career counselling and guidance that learners in urban areas have more advantage in understanding career choice compared to their rural counterparts. The findings, however, have been controversial. Hence, this study sought to examine and compare the extent to which communication perspective on factors influencing students ‘career choice in rural and urban tertiary institutions of learning are the same or different. An in-depth literature of prior studies in the field of counselling and guidance was conducted to create the theoretical foundation for this study. On the basis of the literature review, a conceptual framework for the Department of Basic Education was developed. A self- designed questionnaire under descriptive survey was adopted and simple random technique was employed to administer a total of 370 questionnaires to students from one rural and one urban university in South Africa. The participants comprised first-year undergraduates from Durban University of Technology (DUT) and University of Zululand (UNIZULU). The data were analysed through the MoonStats and later transferred to tables and average mean. The study indicated that friends, internet, and university open day were the major channels of communication by which career services were provided to potential university ‘students. The study also revealed that first-year students from DUT were well-equipped on knowledge of career choice information than the first-year students of UNIZULU. Students from the two universities have similar views that parents, admission requirements and matriculation results were the major factors influencing their choice of course of study in the higher institution of learning. The study further offered recommendations and further study based on the research objectives of the study.